Just added 667 images to the surfing gadget. The gadget is those changing images to the right of this blog. These cover south side HB pier, San Onofre, San Clemnete Pier, and some Blackies beach. You can add this gadget to your iGoogle page. You can also add it to your web site. Read more about the BuiltForSurf gadget here.
Oh, and the swell this week has been killer, with SoCal wave periods (Tp) consistently between 17 and 20 seconds for 4 days.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Laird Hamilton's Clothing Line: Wonderwall
Finally made my way to the *exclusive* retailer of the Wonderwall clothing line, Steve & Barry's. As I stated earlier, the nearest store is pretty far inland, so an odd choice for an exclusive retailer of a clothing line associated with a well-known surfer. I knew this chain was (is) in the dumps financially. Sure enough, the "$4.98 going out of business sale price" was plastered all over the store. However, it seemed that most everything in the store has a standard price of $8.98.
Using stealth cameraphone technology, I captured these shots of Wonderwall clothes and signs in the Steve & Barry's store...
If you cannot see the images above or would like to see larger versions, please visit the Laird Hamilton Wonderwall at Picasaweb.
Based on what I saw, the Wonderwall clothing line certainly falls into the category of "comfort" clothing. It includes polo-type collar shirts, lots of t-shirts, some decent flip-flops (aka go-aheads, thongs), and cargo pants galore in khaki and camoflage. Oddly, the shorts are rather limited in selection. I only found a few shorts made of sweatshirt material and what appeared to be hacked up cargo pants. Most everything seems to be made of cotton, and much of it has a worn-out look to it (not sure if this is intended).
My overall thought is this: Laird licensed his name to a company that achieves success (or failure) in finding dirt cheap clothing and associating a celebrity identity to a line of clothes designed by someone other than the famous celebrity to which the line is associated. I could just as easily have been looking at clothes in a Target, wal-mart, or Marshalls. Main difference being that everything is $8.98 (no, Wonderwall, at this time, doesn't seem to be caught in the $4.98 chapter-7 inventory firesale). I'd once heard some radio show dj in San Diego state "Laird's line offers high quality and durability at a low cost".
Sure, the clothes might be durable (most cotton is) and low cost ($8.98/garment), but I don't agree with the "high quality" comment. I kind of associate high quality with some degree of style and certain fabrics. I'd never be caught hanging out in shorts made of cut-off sweat pants and I don't wear any camo. Maybe I would if I were getting foodstamps and drinking Schlitz in my doublewide. None of the clothes push the envelope. There is an absolute difference between the generally mundane look of Wonderwall and things you'd see from Volcom or Lost (both of which seem way overpriced). I think Laird has good intentions of supplying durable surf or activewear at a competitive price so that real surfers can afford it, but something seems to have gone amiss here. Likely, the core issue is probably the lock-in with a chain like Steve & Barry's, which is NOT frequented by surfers. Or, is Wonderwall just another case of celebrity sellout to cash in before it's too late? Will we be seeing endless bottles of "Laird" cologne line the shelves of Big Lots anytime soon? I hope not, as this might be a weathervane for the direction of the surf clothing industry. Then again, my name isn't associated with anything, so who am I to judge. I'll say the beach and surfing photos in the store were kind of cool, especially considering the store.
Using stealth cameraphone technology, I captured these shots of Wonderwall clothes and signs in the Steve & Barry's store...
If you cannot see the images above or would like to see larger versions, please visit the Laird Hamilton Wonderwall at Picasaweb.
Based on what I saw, the Wonderwall clothing line certainly falls into the category of "comfort" clothing. It includes polo-type collar shirts, lots of t-shirts, some decent flip-flops (aka go-aheads, thongs), and cargo pants galore in khaki and camoflage. Oddly, the shorts are rather limited in selection. I only found a few shorts made of sweatshirt material and what appeared to be hacked up cargo pants. Most everything seems to be made of cotton, and much of it has a worn-out look to it (not sure if this is intended).
My overall thought is this: Laird licensed his name to a company that achieves success (or failure) in finding dirt cheap clothing and associating a celebrity identity to a line of clothes designed by someone other than the famous celebrity to which the line is associated. I could just as easily have been looking at clothes in a Target, wal-mart, or Marshalls. Main difference being that everything is $8.98 (no, Wonderwall, at this time, doesn't seem to be caught in the $4.98 chapter-7 inventory firesale). I'd once heard some radio show dj in San Diego state "Laird's line offers high quality and durability at a low cost".
Sure, the clothes might be durable (most cotton is) and low cost ($8.98/garment), but I don't agree with the "high quality" comment. I kind of associate high quality with some degree of style and certain fabrics. I'd never be caught hanging out in shorts made of cut-off sweat pants and I don't wear any camo. Maybe I would if I were getting foodstamps and drinking Schlitz in my doublewide. None of the clothes push the envelope. There is an absolute difference between the generally mundane look of Wonderwall and things you'd see from Volcom or Lost (both of which seem way overpriced). I think Laird has good intentions of supplying durable surf or activewear at a competitive price so that real surfers can afford it, but something seems to have gone amiss here. Likely, the core issue is probably the lock-in with a chain like Steve & Barry's, which is NOT frequented by surfers. Or, is Wonderwall just another case of celebrity sellout to cash in before it's too late? Will we be seeing endless bottles of "Laird" cologne line the shelves of Big Lots anytime soon? I hope not, as this might be a weathervane for the direction of the surf clothing industry. Then again, my name isn't associated with anything, so who am I to judge. I'll say the beach and surfing photos in the store were kind of cool, especially considering the store.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
History of Surfing in Orange County at John Wayne (Orange County) Airport (SNA)
The Surfing Heritage Foundation puts forth a lot of effort to keep surfing history alive. Often, they do it through live events with famous and/or key figures from surfing's history. Their historical board collection is insane. So, I was stoked when I was at the SNA airport today and found the exhibit that's all about the history of surfing in Orange County. A lot of sponsors (or donors) contributed some absolutely historical memorabilia. The exhibit occupies 5 or more glass presentation cases along the wall. The one drawback is that it's on the secure side of secuirty, meaning you can only see it if you have a ticket to fly. Seeing this history makes me super proud to have grown up in OC. Ends Oct 20.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Summer's Gone, and so is the blackball
Ahhhh, the day after Labor day. Always one of the best days of the year. This means the fairweather tourists are gone and the BLACKBALL IS DOWN!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Ocean Pacific OP...still pretty cool?
The late 70's is when my ocean life started. Op was huge and going to the Op Pro every year was just bitchen! I can still recall Tom Curren's boards with the big Op sponsor laminate on the nose. Back on 3/7/2008 in bfS Commentary, we asserted that Op has done almost nothing cool since the late 70s or early 80s. Mainly, Op stopped creating classic cord shorts and pants, and bitchen print tees. Only back then, it was really the style, not retro-is-the-in-thing garbage. Then the Op Pro was discontinued. Finally, some mega clothing company (likely based in the eastern U.S.) tries their hand at sustaining Op. This was certainly the end of an era.
Through the past few years, Op has been trickling stuff back into the retail stores. I honestly don't think, though, a single indepedent surf shop within a mile of a surfing beach actually carries Op clothes. So, in the past 4 years, I've seen Op at Costco, Wal-mart, and Nordstorm. The Op clothes at Nordstrom were excessivly overpriced, like everything at Nordstrom is. This was kind of like "re-introduce classic Op at nordstrom with exhorbitant prices so well-heeled metrosexuals can buy the stuff and pretend they surf". The Op clothes at Costco have generally just been very lame, except for a few shirts one time. Now the latest Op clothes have shown up at wal-mart. This effort is big, as evidenced by lots of web ads and relatively large floorspace in the stores dedicated to Op.
If you can't view this slideshow or want larger images, check out the Picasa album.
I've got to say, though, these Op clothes at wal-mart hold the closest promise to anything remotely similar to the Op clothes from the 70's and 80's. I think this is actually due to the latest trend that "the 80's are back in". Maybe Op actually hired someone who surfed back in 1976 for their expert opinion on design. While O'neill and Quiksilver are busy churning out retro plaid by the ton, Op seems to be getting back to their roots. Op has come up with some collar shirts that could be mistaken as leftovers (classic ones) from the 70s and early 80s. Op has also created some ladies tote bags that are way 70s looking (and they even look worn a bit). Still, though, no nut-huggin cord shorts and pants. Saldy, the Op bags are made in China. There are also some printed t-shirts with some old-school looking prints (hippy-ish surfers on, but no hot babes). Maybe this is kind of a sell-out, but the stuff looks kind of original (except for rather lame printed and sewn-on references to "1972", when Op was founded.).
I don't think we'll ever see anything as cool as The Op Pro again, Tom Curren's Op-sponsored boards, or Thomas Magnum-length cord shorts, but they are headed in the right direction. Finally. Ok, on to some photos of Op stuff...
Through the past few years, Op has been trickling stuff back into the retail stores. I honestly don't think, though, a single indepedent surf shop within a mile of a surfing beach actually carries Op clothes. So, in the past 4 years, I've seen Op at Costco, Wal-mart, and Nordstorm. The Op clothes at Nordstrom were excessivly overpriced, like everything at Nordstrom is. This was kind of like "re-introduce classic Op at nordstrom with exhorbitant prices so well-heeled metrosexuals can buy the stuff and pretend they surf". The Op clothes at Costco have generally just been very lame, except for a few shirts one time. Now the latest Op clothes have shown up at wal-mart. This effort is big, as evidenced by lots of web ads and relatively large floorspace in the stores dedicated to Op.
If you can't view this slideshow or want larger images, check out the Picasa album.
I've got to say, though, these Op clothes at wal-mart hold the closest promise to anything remotely similar to the Op clothes from the 70's and 80's. I think this is actually due to the latest trend that "the 80's are back in". Maybe Op actually hired someone who surfed back in 1976 for their expert opinion on design. While O'neill and Quiksilver are busy churning out retro plaid by the ton, Op seems to be getting back to their roots. Op has come up with some collar shirts that could be mistaken as leftovers (classic ones) from the 70s and early 80s. Op has also created some ladies tote bags that are way 70s looking (and they even look worn a bit). Still, though, no nut-huggin cord shorts and pants. Saldy, the Op bags are made in China. There are also some printed t-shirts with some old-school looking prints (hippy-ish surfers on, but no hot babes). Maybe this is kind of a sell-out, but the stuff looks kind of original (except for rather lame printed and sewn-on references to "1972", when Op was founded.).
I don't think we'll ever see anything as cool as The Op Pro again, Tom Curren's Op-sponsored boards, or Thomas Magnum-length cord shorts, but they are headed in the right direction. Finally. Ok, on to some photos of Op stuff...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Flat Spell Continues...and some cool stuff
The soCal flat spell continues. Yes, now we're really into summer, even though it's almost over (according to the school year). Instead of surfing this AM due to no waves, I added more images to the Google Surf Images gadget for your enjoyment. Just shy of 2000 images now, and a ton more to come (as time permits). Added still images of:
Honda US Open 2008 in Huntington Beach, CA (July 2008) - not a ton of stills since we were mostly doing video. Will probably grab some stills from the video and post later on. Includes some nice close-ups of Shaun Thompson, Mark Richards, Wayne "Rabbit" Batholomue, Peter Townend, all signing autographs in promo of Bustin' Down the Door. Being in the presence of these four legends, all at the same time, was awe-inspiring. Volcom Totally Crustaceous Tour, Mandalay beach, Oxnard, CA (Nov 17,2007). Super blown-out day. All groms, but they handled the crap surf really well.
Perhaps by doing the good deed of adding more surfing images to the web, I'll be blessed with some waves later today when the tide starts to roll in.
Perhaps by doing the good deed of adding more surfing images to the web, I'll be blessed with some waves later today when the tide starts to roll in.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
As usual, no Surfing in the Olympics (2008)
Why are the following events in the 2008 Olympics, while surfing is not?
badminton rifle shooting ping pong handball synchronized diving (when was this introduced?) trampoline synchronized swimming
By the way, the IOC does "recognize" the sport of surfing, but just can't bring themselves to actually feature the sport in the Olympic games. The recognition is merely intended to appease folks like me who keep asking the question, "why is surfing not in the olympics?"
By the way, the IOC does "recognize" the sport of surfing, but just can't bring themselves to actually feature the sport in the Olympic games. The recognition is merely intended to appease folks like me who keep asking the question, "why is surfing not in the olympics?"
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